Finch Reports Big Weekend Following Blacklist Threat

It was a big weekend for a downtown Leesburg business after it found itself in the national headlines.

Nicole Morgenthau, owner of Finch Knitting + Sewing Studio, received an email last Thursday that threated to put her business on a political blacklist after alleged posts that were hostile to the election of President Donald J. Trump. While denying that she ever made such posts, Morgenthau’s published response on Facebook espousing inclusiveness for all of her customers brought forward a huge community response.

Reached Monday, the Finch owner said the studio had more than 200 customers over the weekend, and the vast majority of them were new customers. Sixty-seven percent of Finch’s sales on Saturday came from new customers, and 83 percent on Sunday.

“The community has really rallied and been very supportive. They’ve really responded in a dynamic way to the positive message of inclusiveness. That was repeated to me over and over and over again,” Morgenthau said.

And for those who may not have been aware of all the goings-on related to the initial email, a sandwich board sign outside of the studio offered a welcoming note: “You belong here.”